Big crowds are good for the U.S. Women's Open, but not for the event's emergency medical technicians. You can't exactly drive an ambulance through the narrow, spectator-choked paths of Saucon Valley Country Club.

Enter John Shambo, one of the Open's bicycling paramedics. When called upon in a medical emergency, he'll pedal to the scene on a performance bike with 30 pounds of equipment strapped to the back.

The bikes can cut through the crowds a lot easier than a car would, the Cetronia paramedic said, although it does take some special training.

''They teach you how to ride in events like this,'' he said. ''People don't hear you coming, or they have the startle reflex.''